Abstract

Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is critical in improving positive patient outcomes and achieving the quadruple aim of enhancing patient experience, improving population health, reducing costs, and improving the work-life balance of healthcare providers. Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) effectively enhances the patient experience and healthcare quality (McGuier et al., 2021). According to the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC), critical drivers for the ongoing growth of developing interprofessional collaborative practice include the need to empower the interprofessional (IPE) community with the best available evidence and research related to IPE and collaborative practice, conduct a continuous review of standard terms for competence, competency, and competency framework, and ensure that this framework accurately reflects any changes in research, policy, and practice (2023).

This study examined the effectiveness of a professional development intervention on the level of interprofessional team collaboration (ITC) on three subscales, as measured with the Assessment of Interprofessional Team Collaboration Scale (AITCS-II) in interprofessional healthcare providers. A two-group randomized controlled trial, with a repeated measures design, was used for this study in an urban hospital system. This study was completed in June 2021. A computer-based randomized generator assigned 161 subjects to the intervention (n = 75) or control group (n = 86). The intervention group participated in an IPEC-competency module, and the control group participated in a standard family-centered care module. Data collection for the intervention and control groups occurred at three points: at baseline, immediately after completion, and four weeks after the module's completion.

The intervention group had statistically significant differences in all three subscales of the validated AITCS-II tool immediately post-intervention in partnership (p < .001), coordination (p < .001), and cooperation (p < .001) in comparison to the control group. The control group was not statistically significant at any period. The intervention module effectively increased the level of collaboration within healthcare teams.

Study outcomes support organizations in building professional development targeting IPEC competencies to meet strategic goals to impact patient outcomes on a system level. This study will inform future studies with the tool used in this study and other tools available to assess team collaboration in academia and practice environments. Moreover, the ongoing integration of the IPEC competencies in the clinical practice environment will support innovative, team-based practice (NASEM, 2021).

Notes

Presenter notes available in attached slide deck.

Additional references included in attached slide deck.

References:

Huth, K., Growdon, A. S., Stockman, L. S., Brett-Fleegler, M., Shannon, M. T., Taylor, M., Hundert, E.S., & Kesselheim, J. C. (2020). Establishing trust within interprofessional teams with a novel simulation activity in the pediatric clerkship. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2020.1840338

Interprofessional Education Collaborative (2023, August 28). Preliminary Draft Revisions. Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice https://www.ipecollaborative.org/2021-2023-core-competencies-revision

MacDonald, A., Clarke, A., & Huang, L. (2019). Multi-stakeholder partnerships for sustainability: Designing decision-making processes for partnership capacity. Journal of Business Ethics, 160(2), 409–426. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-3885-3

Martimianakis, M. A. T., Fernando, O., Schneider, R., Tse, S., & Mylopoulos, M. (2020). "It's not just about getting along": Exploring learning through the discourse and practice of interprofessional collaboration. Academic Medicine, 95(11S), S73–S80. https://journals.lww.com/10.1097/ACM.0000000000003637

McGuier, E. A., Kolko, D. J., Klem, M. L., Feldman, J., Kinkler, G., Diabes, M. A., Weingart, L.R., & Wolk, C. B. (2021). Team functioning and implementation of innovations in healthcare and human service settings: A systematic review protocol. Systematic Reviews, 10(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-021-01747-w

Miltner, R, Pesch, L., Mercado, S., Dammrich, T., Stafford, T. Hunter, J., & Stewart, G. (2021). Why competency standardization matters for improvement: An assessment of the healthcare quality workforce. Journal for Healthcare Quality, 43(5), 263–274. https://doi.org/10.1097/JHQ.0000000000000316

National Academies of Sciences (NASEM), Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25982.

Spaulding, E. M., Marvel, F. A., Jacob, E., Rahman, A., Hansen, B. R., Hanyok, L. A., Martin, S.S., & Han, H. R. (2019). Interprofessional education and collaboration among healthcare students and professionals: A systematic review and call for action. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2019.1697214

Description

Learn about the value of engaging in and promoting interprofessional collaboration in your healthcare environment to transform your workplace culture. Adopt a professional development intervention to assess your healthcare organization's level of interprofessional collaboration through an innovative nurse-led strategy.  

Author Details

Amanda K. Garey, Ph.D., RN, NPDA-BC, EBP-C

Sigma Membership

Beta Beta (Houston)

Type

Presentation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Randomized Controlled Trial

Research Approach

Quantitative Research

Keywords:

Collaborations, Interprofessional Relations, Professional Development, Organizational Change, Interdisciplinary Education

Conference Name

Creating Healthy Work Environments

Conference Host

Sigma Theta Tau International

Conference Location

Washington, DC, USA

Conference Year

2024

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2026-02-19

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Nurse-Led Transformation: Evaluating the Impact of a Professional Development Intervention on Interprofessional Collaboration

Washington, DC, USA

Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is critical in improving positive patient outcomes and achieving the quadruple aim of enhancing patient experience, improving population health, reducing costs, and improving the work-life balance of healthcare providers. Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) effectively enhances the patient experience and healthcare quality (McGuier et al., 2021). According to the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC), critical drivers for the ongoing growth of developing interprofessional collaborative practice include the need to empower the interprofessional (IPE) community with the best available evidence and research related to IPE and collaborative practice, conduct a continuous review of standard terms for competence, competency, and competency framework, and ensure that this framework accurately reflects any changes in research, policy, and practice (2023).

This study examined the effectiveness of a professional development intervention on the level of interprofessional team collaboration (ITC) on three subscales, as measured with the Assessment of Interprofessional Team Collaboration Scale (AITCS-II) in interprofessional healthcare providers. A two-group randomized controlled trial, with a repeated measures design, was used for this study in an urban hospital system. This study was completed in June 2021. A computer-based randomized generator assigned 161 subjects to the intervention (n = 75) or control group (n = 86). The intervention group participated in an IPEC-competency module, and the control group participated in a standard family-centered care module. Data collection for the intervention and control groups occurred at three points: at baseline, immediately after completion, and four weeks after the module's completion.

The intervention group had statistically significant differences in all three subscales of the validated AITCS-II tool immediately post-intervention in partnership (p < .001), coordination (p < .001), and cooperation (p < .001) in comparison to the control group. The control group was not statistically significant at any period. The intervention module effectively increased the level of collaboration within healthcare teams.

Study outcomes support organizations in building professional development targeting IPEC competencies to meet strategic goals to impact patient outcomes on a system level. This study will inform future studies with the tool used in this study and other tools available to assess team collaboration in academia and practice environments. Moreover, the ongoing integration of the IPEC competencies in the clinical practice environment will support innovative, team-based practice (NASEM, 2021).